NCC's new president sets his bar high at inaugural

Mark Erickson made the leap from a private college to Northampton Community College because he believes the most exciting and innovative work of the next decade will happen at community colleges.

Sara K. Satullo

Mark Erickson made the leap from a private college to Northampton Community College because he believes the most exciting and innovative work of the next decade will happen at community colleges.

"This is a great place, this is an extraordinary place," Erickson said Thursday during his inaugural address at the Bethlehem campus. "I will tell you it's a place that I have already grown to love in the short three months I have been here. It is a place that is notable in its focus on students, our community outreach and our laser-like attention to our mission."

Erickson was sworn in as the college's fourth president in its 45-year history amid its weeklong celebration of its founding.

NCC first opened its doors in 1967 in temporary barracks on farmland when community colleges were in their infancy. Today more than 363,555 people have taken classes there, spokeswoman Heidi Butler said.

In addition to its main Bethelehem campus, NCC has a satellite in Tannersville and is building a new Monroe campus.

Alumni, students, faculty and members of the Lehigh Valley community are spending the week celebrating the college's last 45 years while also looking toward the future.

Since assuming the helm after President Arthur Scott retired this summer, Erickson has publicly been mum on his plans for the school. Instead, he's gone on a self-proclaimed listening tour.

This afternoon, Erickson spoke of his plans, promising not to change NCC's foundation but rather vowing to take it higher.

"I see that as my work, our work, to build on all that has been accomplished and make this college nothing less than the finest community college in the country — the place that others point to and say, 'Yes, that's the example of how things should be done.'"

NCC must offer students paths to success and help them with innovative programs that tackle the unique hurdles they face, he said. The college must stay abreast of technology and rethink the traditional classroom. And the college must be a leader in economic development and workforce training.

"No longer is it sufficient for a community college to simply provide access to higher education," he said.

Erickson's close friend Steven Follett, president of Forks Township-based Follett Corp., said his company relies on NCC for its business outreach and its skilled graduates. Erickson fits into NCC's strong history of leadership, he said.

"Mark is a leader with strong values," Follett said during his speech.

Scott, who was greeted warmly by the crowd, echoed Follett calling Erickson a man who has filled his life with good acts toward others.

"He has this unwavering interest in students and their success," Scott said.

Erickson spoke about how proud he is of the diverse student body and its robust international program, which equip students for life in a global world. NCC's seen a 63 percent growth in nonwhite students, and its semester-to-semester retention rate for Latino students is equal to that of white students, he said.

Erickson acknowledged higher education is rapidly changing and facing heightened accountability over the accelerating price of college. Community colleges face funding pressure from all sides, he said.

"This perfect storm could result in more students being excluded from higher education than at any time in recent history," Erickson said. "We simply cannot let that happen."

Northampton's clear mission of doing whatever is necessary to put students and community first will continue to set NCC apart, he said.

"It is a culture that allows us to have the kinds of courageous conversation that these times require," Erickson said.